Do swimming paddles make you stronger?
First … Excellent question. The answer to your question is YES and NO.
When coaches first discovered the use of paddles in the 1970s, coaches thought the answer to your question was an absolute YES. They had swimmers doing 10 to 15,000 yards per day with paddles. Then, reality set in as the stress placed on swimmers’ shoulders for that AMOUNT of swimming caused repetition injuries and swimmers were out of the pool from the injuries for a month or two recovering from the strain of the paddles.
However, if paddles are used properly, they can help you to develop swimming strength.
First, use the paddle for low speed drills including sculling drills. I also have my swimmers work on stroke skills with paddles. However, the paddles are used as follows: We use flat paddles and use ONLY the single finger strap for the middle finger and DO NOT use the wrist strap. ALL fingers, including thumb and little finger, are kept flat on the paddle. You do NOT hold the outer edge of the paddle by wrapping your thumb and little finger around the side.
The purpose of using the paddle in the fashion I described is that you can tell if your stroke is proper because if the paddle stays flat on the palm of your hand, your stroke is correct. If the paddle pulls away from your hand then you are dropping your elbows and pulling with your elbow which pulls the paddle off your palm.
Paddles, used in the same fashion as I just described, should be used while doing sculling drills.
Then, a few days per week, paddles should be used on short sprints. Using them on short sprints will cause you to gain strength for your stroke.